North Koreans willing to spend 10% of their income on black market Choco Pies

by Brendan Fitzgibbons on Wed, Jan 29, 2014

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How much of your salary would you spend on a Choco Pie? In North Korea, some people are spending as much as 10% of their monthly earnings on this delicious chocolate treat that can only be found on the black market.

According to Stephen Noerper, Senior VP of the Korean Society, the average North Korean makes between $100 and $200 dollars a month. On the black market in North Korea, the tasty Choco Pie goes for $10 dollars, while it's under one dollar in South Korea. It's astonishing to find out that some North Koreans are willing to spend 10 percent of their monthly income on the pies. It is even more incredible considering that getting caught buying things on the North Korean black market can be very dangerous. People who do purchase black market goods can end up in a labor camp where roughly 130,000 citizens live and work today. The pies make their way into the black market from employers who offer the Choco Pie as a bonus for working there.